Beth Porter - Reduce, Reuse, Reimagine: Sorting Out the Recycling System

Reduce, Reuse, Reimagine

Sorting Out the Recycling System

Beth Porter

ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD

Lanham Boulder New York London

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Porter, Beth, 1988 author.

Title: Reduce, reuse, reimagine : sorting out the recycling system / Beth Porter.

Description: Lanham : Rowman & Littlefield, [2018] | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2018009452 (print) | LCCN 2018015543 (ebook) | ISBN 9781538105405 (ebook) | ISBN 9781538105399 (cloth : alk. paper)

Subjects: LCSH: Recycling (Waste, etc.)United States. | Waste minimizationUnited States.

Classification: LCC TD794.5 (ebook) | LCC TD794.5 .P6745 2018 (print) | DDC 363.72/820973dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018009452

TM The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.

Printed in the United States of America

To Lynn and Andy, my mom and dad, you are my heroes. You both inspire me to see kindness in others, hold tight to integrity, and live to my values. Thank you for every single moment of support, wisdom, and joy youve shared. Thank you to Aunt Sandra and Shelley, for helping me talk through concepts as well as to laugh and not take things too seriously.

I am fortunate to live in a little ecosystem full of generous, brilliant, passionate friends and family. To everyone who took the time to ask, Hows the book going? and offer one more gentle nudge to cross the finish line, this book was made possible thanks to each of you. To everyone who has taken the time to share your recycling queries with me and let me wander down roads of thoughts with you, I am deeply grateful. Every single question you asked has folded new aspects of a complex and important system into this book. I hope it answers any others you may have. (If not, please give me a ring! Lets figure out the answer!)

Id also like to extend my sincere gratitude to those who aided in my research, writing process, and book design, including Suzanne Staszak-Silva and Andrew Yoder of Rowman & Littlefield, Emily Biondo, Iris Gottlieb, Susan Kinsella, Adam Ortiz, Neil Seldman, and my wonderful colleagues at Green America.

And to Michael Curcio and Corbin, I am eternally grateful for your encouragement and patience as I read sentences aloud while wandering through our home. Thank you for letting this book live with us for so long and helping to make it all possible. You mean the world to me.

In the forest, dozens of complex systems operate in quiet determination. Organisms compete for resources throughout their ecosystems. Tiny acorns work tirelessly for years to grow and burst into the top level of a tree canopy, while mosses envelope woodland floors and regulate soil moisture. Within every forest exists a myriad of systems striving for their individual success, while also contributing to the longevity of the larger ecosystem. This allows a community of organisms to thrive. But, ecosystems are not simply harmonious utopias. There is fierce, brutal competition and fatal tragedies. What allows these turbulent ecosystems to maintain their existence is not the absence of conflict, but the balanced use and replenishment of resources over time. When a resource is divisible, such as a tree used by many insects and animals for shelter and food, multiple species have access to its benefitsorganisms vying with each other can coexist by using the resource at different times and in varying amounts. This is what prevents a catastrophic race to the bottom, meaning the depletion of resources. Conversely, a nondivisible resource generally ends up under the control of a singular, dominant species. Species using the same limited resource in the same way at the same time cannot coexist for long. But, when different aspects of a resource are used in a variety of ways to serve multiple stakeholders, equilibrium can be achieved.

Ecosystems require balance to survive, and when that balance is compromised, as in the extinction of a resource or a species, disaster can strike the system as a whole. This vital management of resources can also be reflected in economic systems. A healthy ecosystem, like a healthy economic system, does not have a void of competition or effort. Instead, there are competing forces that sometimes work cooperatively to keep the larger system afloat. This single planet has finite resources. It is our responsibility as organisms of a shared global ecosystem to use them efficiently, equitably, and sustainably. In both nature and economics, we observe when a healthy distribution of resources is achieved, systems can not only function, but flourish.

The United States recycling system has removed a ton of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere (actually, in the hundreds of millions of tons) and has the potential to remove much more. A functional recycling system can boost our economy by providing manufacturers with the means to generate new products, and benefits the environment by reducing the demand to extract raw materials. However, this potential has yet to be fully seen. Unlike the layers of systems operating in a thriving and healthy forest, our recycling system experiences bottlenecking and inefficiency. How can the United Statesone of the leading nations on innovation and technologylag behind in the most obvious of resource recovery systems? Where in our history of recycling did we go from a leader to a laggard, as we cant seem to exceed a 34 percent recycling rate, while other nations have rates double that?

Our recycling process has many examples of dysfunction. However, it is still ripe with all the potential of an acorn when given water and healthy soil. What we need are policies to incentivize a large, systemic changewe need to make materials that can be effectively recycled, and we need standardized recycling rules so that individuals can easily understand the process. Nature knows how to recycle itself, decomposing waste back into the soil to continue the circle of growth. We should follow its lead.

Systems touch every part of our lives. Whether its the traffic route a bus follows or the process of waiting in line for tickets to a show, systems help us navigate the world and can bring ease and comfort into our lives. The beauty of a working system is similar to a tall oak tree, with much of the mechanics going on underneath the surface, so much so that we may enjoy the results of all these grand designs without mulling over the minutiae of its operation. We might take for granted a working oven, as it systematically cooks our dinner. We also might take for granted the shade of the tree in our backyard. But when the oven is broken or a huge tree limb falls onto the roof, we notice right away. A system is most noticed when its not working. In the case of the U.S. recycling system, the dysfunction is seen through the decreased value of recyclables from contamination or delays in processing residential materials. Or when neighborhood residents suspect their carefully placed recyclables are just dumped into the garbage truck. If one aspect of the system doesnt operate correctly or is trying to function without another key participant, the system staggers and can even break down.